June Jones in the mix?

by Ajax on Dec 7, 2007 9:39 AM PST

In other coaching news, it looks like Texas Tech's Mike Leach is out of the discussion at UCLA. The latest name to pop up is Hawaii's June Jones, who said to be going after the opening "hot and heavy." UPDATE -N: Also from the same link: Bowden's name has emerged in the SMU search and he could be a factor in the still-developing UCLA search. The school is expected to hire a search firm by this weekend after Karl Dorrell was fired this week. I have couple of buddies who went to Auburn and follow that program closely. They have been telling me Bowden has had his eyes on UCLA for a while and he is going to go for it. All these coaches chasing UCLA? And yet we have losers often telling us UCLA is a difficult place to coach and that we should end up settling for unproven hacks like DyNoMite Walker. GO BRUINS.

This is a FanPost and does not necessarily reflect the views of BruinsNation's (BN) editors. It does reflect the views of this particular fan though, which is as important as the views of BN's editors.

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June Jones

JJ's contract is up after next season and Hawaii has been dragging their feet in giving him a new one. Seem he and the UH AD Herman Frazier don't get along very well.

by nikeu on Dec 7, 2007 10:16 AM PST reply actions

in an interview with...

dan patrick a couple days ago, june jones stated that the reason why he doesn't have a contract after this year is that he told the university he didn't want to talk about it during the season. i think thats a smart move because if hawai'i wants to retain him now after going to a bcs bowl, he'll command more $$...also from the interview i got he's not afraid to tell what's on his mind, and stands up for his players, especially colt.

Link for the podcast of the interview
http://a1135.g.akamai.net/f/1135/18227/1h/cchannel.download.akamai.com/18227/podcast/LOSANGELES-CA/K LAC-AM/071205-2.mp3?CPROG=PCAST&MARKET=LOSANGELES-CA&NG_FORMAT=sports&SITE_ID=727&ST ATION_ID=KLAC-AM&PCAST_AUTHOR=AM570_KLAC&PCAST_CAT=Arts_and_Entertainment&PCAST_TITLE=AM 570_KLAC_SHOWS

by redsand514 on Dec 7, 2007 1:45 PM PST up reply actions

He's a good option for us...

by cardom on Dec 7, 2007 10:22 AM PST reply actions

Hello thugs for players

if we hire him. He has a rapist for a QB right now.

by joeb @ Bruins Nation on Dec 7, 2007 11:20 AM PST reply actions

I hear this before, but...

...Colt Brennan in Hawaii is not the same guy as the walk-on quarterback accused of rape at University of Colorado. Two different guys.

by cardom on Dec 7, 2007 11:35 AM PST up reply actions

According to Wikipedia...

According to the Wiki, it is the same guy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colt_Brennan

by kidro2001 on Dec 7, 2007 12:07 PM PST up reply actions

He is the same guy

But he was cleared of the charges.

As for the rest of the players, they are definitely not thugs. He may take chances on some players with checkered pasts like Brennan but his players keep their noses clean while they play for him. You don't see any stories coming out of Hawaii like you do coming out of south central.

You can give people a second chance without bringing in recidivist rapists and murderers. You also do not have to give them third and fourth chances. Jones is a great communicator, he is responsible with his players, and he is not afraid to stand up for them in the media. Brennan was in a bad situation in Colorado along with a lot of other players. Jones offered him a chance as a walk-on and Brennan took the opportunity and became a star.

In short, June Jones is no Dennis Erickson and he is not the humanitarian. He is a great football coach with a great program and I hope he can bring that to UCLA.

by Rhapsode on Dec 7, 2007 3:15 PM PST up reply actions

Can't call Brennan a rapist

He pled guilty to trespassing and burglary, but was cleared of sexual assault (rape). Also, the Univ of Colorado just paid over 2 million dollars to a woman who was gang raped by several CU football players at a recruiting party. Not to justify Brennan's behavior, but he wasn't the only bad guy there at the time. Much of that reflects on the program and it's leadership (Gary Barnett). Haven't heard the same sort of problems with Jones's teams in Hawaii.

greg in denver

by gbruin on Dec 7, 2007 11:45 AM PST up reply actions

If we're leary of Jones b/c of Brennan

then we should also examine Brian Kelly whose players were involved with a murder while he was Central Michigan coach, and he was roundly criticized for his handling of it. I had heard that this is why he fell out of contention for the Michigan job.

by ucla21 on Dec 7, 2007 1:03 PM PST up reply actions

Not an issue

Morgan Center was OK with Eric Scott, so I can't imagine Jones or Kelly's situations would be any different.

by Ajax on Dec 7, 2007 1:28 PM PST up reply actions

Yeap

And in this case Scott is a convicted criminal and Morgan Center still has no problem keeping him in the staff.

by bluestreet on Dec 7, 2007 1:38 PM PST up reply actions

Not Clear AD Knew About Scott

and that may have hurt KD.

Not that he needed any more to lose the job.

sjh

by Class of 66 on Dec 8, 2007 1:53 PM PST up reply actions

I'm sure that

Jones would like a decent budget for recruiting.

From Dufresne in the Times yesterday (http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/football/la-sp-dufresne6dec06,1,786859,full.column?coll=la-hea dlines-sports-coll_footb):

"My recruiting budget is $50,000," Jones said. "To be competing against a school like Georgia is amazing."

Hawaii can expect to earn about $3.5 million for its Sugar Bowl appearance, the amount Boise State reaped for last year's Fiesta Bowl.

"It hopefully means we're going to get some new carpet and some new stuff in my office," Jones said. "So when recruits come we'll look like a first-class operation."

by Westwood Wizard on Dec 7, 2007 11:45 AM PST reply actions

recent diary on this same subject

Jones does seem interested in Westwood...

http://www.bruinsnation.com/story/2007/12/5/191314/931

greg in denver

by gbruin on Dec 7, 2007 11:49 AM PST reply actions

Thanks N

For cleaning up the link.

IMO, June Jones is a very compelling candidate.

by Ajax on Dec 7, 2007 12:10 PM PST reply actions

np & totally agree

I will take him over Walker.

by Nestor on Dec 7, 2007 12:11 PM PST up reply actions

Types of players recruited by June Jones

According to that unassailable source Wikipedia, June Jones is quoted as saying "some of my best players I have recruited from jail" (referring to Colt Brennan). See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/June_Jones. I don't think that would play well in Murphy Hall! On his record, I think he would be an interesting choice and he wouldn't have to recruit from jails to get good players for UCLA, but I don't see UCLA hiring him.

by bruin7982 on Dec 7, 2007 12:17 PM PST reply actions

That would be a silly reason to turn him away

it proves he is resourceful, and AFAIK his teams haven't turned into a Jailblazers* type situation yet, proving he knows how to deal with those guys.

There's also something to be said for willing to give people a second chance, IMo too few people are willing to do that nowadays, but of course that is a value judgement that UCLA may not share. I have no problem with it.

*Jailblazers was built around hiring guys who were good but were unwanted because of their legal problems... but then they went to Portland and did all that stuff again. AFAIK JJ hasn't let that happened in his watch.

by njbruin on Dec 7, 2007 1:11 PM PST up reply actions

agreed

by bluestreet on Dec 7, 2007 1:14 PM PST up reply actions

I wouldn't mind taking a chance on the guy, but

I'm just saying I don't think UCLA is going to do it. They are very PR conscious, and that type of a quote would get blown up in the Trojan Times.

by bruin7982 on Dec 7, 2007 1:30 PM PST up reply actions

Recruiting from jail

He can't recruit from jail over here, Cheatey's got them all.

by Tommy Bruin on Dec 8, 2007 10:28 PM PST up reply actions

Jones would be great

He was a very good head coach at Atlanta, and has done a great job with very mediocre players at Hawaii.

June Jones is on my list, and second only to Chris Peterson.

by cmcbruin on Dec 7, 2007 1:15 PM PST reply actions

He sucked in S.D.

To be fair, most SD coaches have sucked.

by Nars on Dec 7, 2007 3:34 PM PST up reply actions

For a good comparison

Google Hawaii football criminals and USC football criminals. You will find one page all about the exploits of USC thugs. The other page has links to an episode of police brutality in the stands. There is only one linked incident to a player's actions on the front page - and that player had already been kicked off of the team.

I am a June Jones fan and I would like to see him in Westwood. I would never accept any coach who runs a program like they have at SC. June Jones runs a tight ship and has no problem getting rid of problem players.

To call his team full of thugs is unfair and uninformed. The highest profile player on the team has a troubled past but he has cleaned himself up and is now a local hero in Hawaii.

by Rhapsode on Dec 7, 2007 3:32 PM PST reply actions

the jail quote

That jail quote is a bit cherry-picked, don't ya think? Look at the rest of the paragraph from wikipedia:

"As for the recruits that Jones usually goes for as a coach, the profiles of typical targets are: (1) Polynesian kids, (2) kids who have lived in Hawaii or have family here, (3) military kids with no permanent home, (4) kids recovering from injuries and (5) kids from broken homes, (6) the rare kid from the penal system.[12] "Some of my best players I've recruited out of jail," Jones says in reference to current quarterback Colt Brennan's past legal troubles."

So yeah, he did say the jail quote, but he doesn't pick these players for no reason. He picks often disadvantage local kids that he hopes can advance. There are plenty of kids in the inner-city football programs in LA that would love to have a guy that champions local kids from disadvantaged homes... and Hawaii isn't even close to the recruiting potential pool that LA has year in and year out.

by blinkshot on Dec 8, 2007 4:43 PM PST reply actions

I'll admit it

I'm a UH fan, and while I'd hate for Hawaii to lose its local hero part of me is curious to see what he could do with Pac 10 caliber talent.

It's quite unfair to point out the kinds of guys he recruits and throw their troubles back in their faces when he has kept his program clean. While these so-called risk guys are in Jones' program, they stay on the straight and narrow. That's a credit to Jones and a credit to the players making the best of their second chances.

Hawaii doesn't have anything close to the recruiting gold mine that is SoCal. Except on the line. Hawaii produces mighty fine linemen.

by Tydides on Dec 8, 2007 4:55 PM PST up reply actions

Good point about their linemen

Those guys are huge. They have the bodies that go with the Easter Island heads.

Have you seen the chant they do before games? It is great. I'm not an Islander, but I got fired up watching it on You Tube. I would be ready to do battle.

Anyway, I would be happy if Jones came here, but my sense for the past several years is that Hawaii is his dream job. We'll see.

by Fox 71 on Dec 8, 2007 5:02 PM PST up reply actions

I think he'll stay

He is a god in Hawaii. He would have a good chance to be governor if he ran (seriously).

That dance was originally a war chant with Polynesian roots: the Haka, but this year they started the Ha'a which was their Hawaiian take on the war chant. The locals love it, as you can probably imagine.

by Tydides on Dec 8, 2007 5:07 PM PST up reply actions